Dirty Tricks
by She Who Cannot Be Turned
Summary: Seven years ago, Sam Winchester ran away from his only family, and was found by one of the very things he had been brought up to hate and hunt. Instead of following instinct and killing the trickster, Sam became its apprentice. Sequel to Pray for Us


**Title**: Dirty Tricks  
**Author**: She Who Cannot Be Turned  
**Artist**: mangacrack (link found on my LJ)  
**Beta**: shirly007 and frozenbrimstone  
**Fandom**: Supernatural  
**Pairing(s)**: Loki(Gabriel)/Sam  
**Rating**: R  
**Warnings**: Bit of angst, mentions of past abuse (in the form of verbal/neglect), heavily implied male/male sexual acts, artistic license used with regards to character traits (:D), complete disrespect for SPN canon?  
**Status**: Complete  
**Word Count**: 11,465 words

**Summary**: Seven years ago, Sam Winchester ran away from his only family, and was found by one of the very things he had been brought up to hate and hunt. Instead of following instinct and killing (or trying to) the trickster, Sam became it's apprentice.

Now, after a small oversight brings the attention of hunters to their pranking grounds, Sam is about to face his past and own up to the reasons why he left his brother behind.

**Author Notes**: So I bowed to pressure (or, you know, got an idea that wouldn't leave me alone… whilst sitting in the middle of a field in a tent, listening to the rain beat down and wondering if it was just my imagination or was my head wet…) and wrote the sequel to Pray For Us. Hope it lives up to all your expectations! Heh… *goes to hide*

Dirty Tricks

Sam was bored. Which, given who he lived with, was actually quite surprising. Still, he was bored, and everyone that knew Sam, knew he wasn't the best person at dealing with boredom. And again, knowing who his partner was, _not_ surprising. The reason for his boredom was simple. He was in an airport and his previous mentioned partner was nowhere to be seen.

Really, Sam was a little peeved. It wasn't like the damned trickster couldn't have brought him back from Scotland without feeling the need to force Sam to go on a plane. At the very least, he could have made sure he arrived at the airport in time for Sam's flight to arrive and to ensure he was actually there to meet Sam.

Sam was also a little disappointed. He hadn't seen Loki for over six months, having been sent to Scotland for the 'final stages' of his apprenticeship to become a trickster. He'd actually been looking forward to finally seeing Loki again. He'd missed him. Though, he was also rather proud that he was now a trickster. A human one, admittedly, but a human one with contacts and resources. It had only taken him five years; not bad for a runaway high school dropout.

"Sprite!" Sam jerked and looked towards where he'd heard the shout, smiling widely when he saw Loki heading straight for him and almost immediately forgetting that he was supposed to be annoyed with the man.

"Ki!" Sam wrapped his arms around Loki when he reached him and hugged him tightly, nuzzling into Loki's hair and breathing in the scent that he'd missed most over these past few months.

"I've missed you, kid," Loki told him after pulling back a little, hands still placed at the sides of Sam's neck and rubbing the skin gently with his thumbs. Sam felt like purring at the light touch.

"Missed you too," Sam agreed softly, leaning his head into Loki's hand when he moved it to cup Sam's cheek. Loki drew Sam down a little and pressed a chaste kiss to Sam's lips, tongue flicking out to brush over them before he pulled back.

"Come on, let's go home and you can tell me all about Scotland and how living with Mr Goodfellow was." Sam most certainly did not pout when Loki pulled away from him completely and walked towards the exit of the airport. Quickly grabbing his bag, he made sure he hadn't left anything behind and then hurried to catch up with Loki.

Hopefully they'd be doing a lot more catching up when they got home.

* * *

**Two Years Later**

* * *

Sam licked his finger, dipped it into the ever present brown leather pouch attached to his belt and then dragged a line on the edge of the desk with the dust that was now clinging to his finger. Mentally cackling to himself, he glanced at the clock on the wall and then gently breathed over the line of green-blue dust, watching with bright eyes as it appeared to be absorbed by the wood of the desk.

A soft hissing had him looking down at his wrist and he frowned at the slim snake wrapped around it like a bracelet, shushing it quietly.

"Yes, I know, we're running out of time. It's fine. I'm done, so we can leave now. Stop your whinging," Sam muttered, standing up from his crouch next to the desk. The snake hissed back and tightened around his wrist briefly, before going back to acting like an overly bitchy bracelet once more.

Sam grumbled to himself and then dipped his hand into the pouch once more, took out a pinch of dust - pale yellow this time - and then placed it in the palm of his other hand before inhaling it and disappearing from the room.

Coughing and spluttering a little, Sam arrived in the front room of the apartment he and Loki were currently living in in Ohio. He wheezed a little and coughed some more, ignoring the snickering coming from where Loki sat on the sofa. Finally getting his breath back and managing to stop choking, he turned to glare at Loki, glare turning into a smug smirk when Dog - Loki's Jack Russell - yipped happily and ran to greet Sam much to Loki's consternation.

"Aw! See, you know who the better owner is, don't you, Dog? Yes, yes you do!" Sam cooed, crouching down and ruffling the excitable animal's fur. He heard Loki scoff and the unmistakeable sound of rustling candy wrappers, and looked up from the wriggling dog.

"So did you get it all sorted?" Loki asked him, nibbling on a chocolate bar and looking at Sam with a bored expression that fooled no one. Well, it didn't fool Sam at least. He'd been with Loki for seven years; he felt he knew the trickster rather well.

"It is all set! Skeevy-Professor-Man shall soon meet his downfall! Literally… then the ground," Sam added with a wide smile, getting up off the floor and moving to drop down next to Loki on the couch, snuggling up to his side. He gave a small happy sigh when Loki wrapped his arm around him and pulled him closer.

"Good to know. Bastard deserves it," Loki grumbled. Sam chuckled and shifted a little to glance at Loki curiously.

"What is your problem with the guy anyway? And when are you heading out to see if I did the job right? I know you're going to," Sam added before Loki could deny it.

"He hit on you! You're mine and he's going to learn that the hard way! And I'm not going to go watch just to make sure you did the job right. I'm going to watch and take joy in seeing him plummet to a bloody death for trying to sleep with you," Loki growled, making Sam smile widely and nuzzle into Loki's neck.

"You're all kinds of adorable when you act all possessive. So, you have about thirty minutes until the guy snuffs it," Sam informed him, shuffling to get comfy, and then jumping, and yelping when the snake around his wrist hissed and nipped him. "Ow!"

"What?" Loki asked, looking perplexed over why Sam had just jumped away from him. He gave a small, knowing sigh though when he noticed the snake around his wrist. "I told you not to carry him there."

"He likes it there! Don't bite me, Jinx! Dammit!" Sam cursed at the snake, nose wrinkling when the snake hissed back angrily. "Don't bitch at me."

"It disturbs me how easily you have taken to being able to talk to a snake. You're like an overgrown Harry Potter. Only without the hissing, spitting part."

"And the freaky stalker with the super injunction stopping anyone saying his name," Sam added musingly, rubbing at Jinx's head.

"Yeah, and that too."

"Back on track though, I'd like to take a moment to remind you that Jinx was your idea. You were all 'I want you to be safe when I'm not around, Sprite' and 'you should have companionship!'" Sam pointed out, making an overly bitchy tone when imitating Loki.

"I don't sound like that," Loki grouched, pouting.

"Well no. Still, it _was_ your idea. Besides, I like Jinx. He's hilarious! Kinda has your sense of humour, gramps!" Sam cackled when Loki shot him a scandalised look.

"Don't call me that! It makes me sound old!"

"You are old! You're older than dirt. Literally! And he's your grandson! Don't be mean!"

"I hate Jor a little for giving you one of his sons," Loki muttered. Sam smirked, but soon lost it and felt on edge when Loki suddenly turned to look at him with a wicked grin on his face.

"What?" Sam asked warily. He inched away from the other man slowly, all too aware of just how dangerous their arguments and bickering could get.

"Well… you do know that it makes you his step-grandmother, right?"

"What?" Sam squawked. He grabbed a pillow and smashed it into Loki's face, making the man burst into laughter. "One, I'm only twenty-three and two, and possibly most importantly, grand_mother_? I'm sorry, but I could have sworn it was my _dick_ in your mouth this morning! You are so not getting laid for the rest of the week."

"Hey now! There's no need for that! I'm very sorry for insulting your dubious masculinity!" Loki told him, giggling a little and tugging on Sam's pink shirt sleeve with a pointed look on his face.

"There's nothing wrong with wearing pink! It just shows I'm comfortable with my masculinity."

"Is that what you tell yourself about getting fucked by me as well?" Loki asked him, leering at him. Sam just glared back at him and then turned to look at wall.

"You'd rather I didn't then? That's fine. I'll be more masculine and go out and bang some sorority girl. Actually, there was that girl in my Folklore class, Starla. She was very friendly with me," Sam said musingly. He quickly got off the sofa before Loki could retaliate in anyway and walked towards the bedroom.

"Where are you going? Don't leave after that! You're not really going to screw a girl are you? You don't do that! You can't! Sammy!"

"You're going to be late if you want to watch the professor's sad demise," Sam called over his shoulder as he opened the bedroom door. "And don't call me Sammy or I'll cut off your dick!"

He heard Loki's wordless shout of shock before he shut the door of the bedroom behind him and threw himself bonelessly on the bed. He'd give Loki one thing, he definitely made the comfiest beds Sam had ever known. He glanced at the door for a few seconds, and then assumed that Loki had gone to pretend to be a janitor for the night once more.

Shifting and yawning widely, Sam allowed Jinx the snake to untangle himself from his wrist and move to curl around the heat stone on the bedside table. Sam then quickly got off the bed and undressed, before climbing back in, under the covers. Patting the bed softly, he smiled when Dog jumped on and cuddled up against him. The heat and steady breathing from Dog soon lulled Sam to sleep, a small smug smile still on his face at the knowledge that, for once, he'd gotten the last word in their bickering.

* * *

A couple of days passed, during which Loki and Sam had gone on to trick and prank the ever loving crap out of one another, neither one coming out the end in one piece. They'd finally called a draw when Sam was a grumpy looking kitten and Loki was about the same height as a midget smurf. And the same colour.

And the carpet glittered with suspicious, multicoloured dust.

Both looking human again, they collapsed onto the couch with weary sighs, Dog and Jinx both cautiously coming out of the kitchen area – the kitchen having been declared a safe zone years before – and Sam shifting to lean against Loki.

"Why were we arguing again?" Loki finally asked him after they'd been sitting in silence a while. Sam shrugged against him and sighed.

"I have no clue. Don't you have to go to your boring day job later?" Sam asked him, shifting so that he could look at Loki. Loki just wrinkled his nose in distaste and sighed. "I think I might have missed a shift at the morgue when I was a kitten. And possibly a day of classes."

"You don't need them. Not like you're going to graduate anyway."

"I might!" Sam exclaimed indignantly, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Really?" Loki asked, disbelief clear in his voice. Sam glared at him and then slumped a little and sighed.

"Nah. I blame that all on you, by the way. Before I met you I was a very good student!"

"You ran away!"

"Well, before that then."

"You're insane," Loki muttered, shaking his head, though he was smiling and had a fond look in his eyes whenever he looked at Sam.

"Now _that_ is your fault."

* * *

Sam looked up from where he was planning just how he was going to set up his next prank, when Loki appeared in the room looking both anxious and guilty. Immediately, Sam was put on edge, and subconsciously, ran a hand through his hair just to make sure he didn't have cat ears or something.

"What's happened?" Sam asked him warily once ascertaining that, no; he didn't have any kind of animal ears sticking out of his head. Loki shuffled awkwardly and then sighed heavily, dragging a hand through his hair. Really, none of this was making Sam feel any better, and he felt the overwhelming urge to look behind him just in case he'd missed the tail or something. "Ki?"

"Sprite, we might have messed up," Loki finally said, moving to sit on the bed next to Sam.

"Um… I'm going to admit that I'm lost," Sam admitted hesitantly, shoving his notebook from his lap and shifting to face Loki fully, taking the bag of Skittles Loki offered him. Dropping the bag, unopened, in his lap, Sam looked up at Loki, frowning. "Don't distract me with candy."

Loki sighed again and fiddled with the Snickers he had in his hand, looking at it like it would give him the answers of life or something. He looked up when Sam bumped his knee against Loki's, and tilted his head in question as soon as Loki was looking at him.

"When you were a cat…" Loki trailed off, rubbed the back of his neck and then swallowed heavily, "we didn't hide the unusual side of the evidence with the professor's death. Apparently there are some overly suspicious hunters out there that thought his suicide was suspicious."

"Ah, so… what? We get rid of them like we did the last time a hunter found us? That's going to be annoying. Damn. I like this university. Their student bar has some really inventive drinks," Sam muttered to himself, looking a little put out. Loki huffed and got Sam's attention back to himself by placing a hand on his knee.

"Sprite, stop talking," Loki told him softly, only to visibly hold back a sigh of frustration when Sam interrupted him once more.

"You know, I don't know whether to be disturbed that your petname for me is a soft drink, or amused."

"You know it's not the dri—Sam! Listen to me, don't interrupt me, this is important! You've got to listen, okay?" Loki asked him, and Sam looked at him with wide eyes before nodding silently. "Thank you. The hunters our little trick attracted the notice of might not be the people you want to mess with."

"Ki? What do you mean? Why wouldn't we want to mess with them? Hunters are fun! They never notice what's going on around them if it has nothing to do with the obvious supernatural signs! Come on! You were the one that taught me that!"

"Don't whine, it doesn't suit you," Loki muttered then he sighed heavily and scrubbed his hands over his face. Sam watched him with a concerned from on his face, deciding to take Loki's obvious distress a little more seriously than he had been.

"Ki, what's going on?" Sam asked with a soft voice, moving his hand to place it over the one Loki had on his knee, wrapping his fingers around it and squeezing.

"It's your father and brother," Loki finally told him and Sam felt the peculiar sensation of ice running through his veins, his breath catching in his throat with a hitched whine. Loki quickly moved as close to him as possible, opening Sam's legs so he could sit between them and then resting his own on either side of Sam's waist. He moved his free hand to Sam's cheek, causing Sam to press into it. "It's going to be alright, Sprite."

"I—I—What do I do? What should _we_ do?" Sam asked in a shaky voice. He brought his hand up to clench around Loki's resting on his cheek, lip trembling a little at the thought of seeing those he'd ran from all those years ago.

"I think…" Loki paused and regarded at him with a shrewd look in his eyes. Sam looked at him, before pulling his hand back and staring at Loki with narrowed eyes.

"We need to leave. They can't find you. They'll blame you, take me away from you or something. So, at the very least, you should go and hide. I'll… I'll catch up with you. Maybe—maybe if we split up they won't be able to follow us. Yes! We can do that! You can just snap yourself away and I'll—"

"You'll what, Sprite? If we split up, how would you find me again?" Loki asked him in a quiet, pointed voice. Sam shrugged, scraping for an idea that would keep Loki safe from his father. He knew just how tenacious his father became when he got the scent of a new 'monster'.

"I'll get a flight to Scotland! Robin will be able to find you! That way, you'll be safe and we won't be separated for long and-and…"

"And what?"

"And I won't be taken away from you," Sam finished almost silently, looking down and fiddling nervously with the zip on Loki's jacket. Loki gently moved his fingers from his jacket and then pulled Sam to him, hugging him tightly and pressing his face into the crook of Sam's neck. Sam clung back to him just as tightly, afraid to let go and lose him. "I don't want to be taken away from you."

"You won't. No one will be able to force you to leave me. I'll only let you leave me if you ever truly want to, Sam," Loki whispered into Sam's neck, pressing a soft kiss there that made Sam shiver and only hold onto him even tighter.

"I don't want to."

"Then you won't."

"What do we do, Ki?" Sam whispered, pressing his cheek to the top of Loki's head.

"I think we should carry on with the plan," Loki told him softly, rubbing his hands up and down Sam's back soothingly when Sam stiffened in his hold. "Sam, maybe it's time you faced the reasons you left. Maybe this is your chance to finally let go of the past."

"Maybe I could say the same for you. Maybe you should stop being a hypocrite, _Gabriel_."

* * *

Given they had already attracted the attention of the two hunters they'd least wanted the attention of, they decided that there really was no need to hold back on their future tricks. The next one, given Sam had been the one to kill the professor, was to be Loki's responsibility. Sam had no idea what he had planned, said it was going to be a surprise - something to cheer Sam up a little.

So, whilst Loki was setting whatever that involved up and lead Dean and his father on a merry goose chase, Sam was going to mess around with their heads and distract them from paying too much attention to things they really shouldn't. Which was why he was currently in their motel room, looking for something to mess with but wouldn't tip off his father too soon.

John Winchester was far too aware of everything at times. Especially during a hunt. No, Sam needed to make it small enough to look like human-error but large enough to annoy them and slow their search.

Eyes landing on the laptop left on the kitchen table, Sam smirked. He glanced down at the small hiss from his wrist and nodded; clearly Jinx had had the same idea as he had.

Sam quickly walked over to the table with a smirk on his lips; he dipped his hand into his ever-present pouch at his waist and pulled out a small palm full of the dust. Breathing on it softly, he grinned when it turned a deep magenta and sprinkled it over the laptop. Glancing down once more when Jinx hissed, Sam looked up at the clock, and nibbled his lip.

"That didn't take them long. You're sure?" Jinx tightened around his wrist and hissed at him shortly. Sam nodded, dipped in the pouch for some more dust, he inhaled it quickly and left with a small cough. The dust over the laptop faded from view, leaving no evidence behind just as the door opened and the two Winchesters entered the room.

* * *

Sam gaped when he watched what Loki had set up for the prank. He actually though that he might have stars in his eyes a little. His partner was a genius.

"Ki, this is truly awesome," Sam whispered, not able to take his eyes off the kid being made to slow dance with a midget alien. It was truly a work of genius. Sam felt like a newbie once again.

"It is, isn't it? Is it working in cheering you up?" Loki asked him, moving closer to Sam's side and placing a warm hand on the small of Sam's back. Sam leant back a little into the touch and smiled, nodding his head slightly.

"Yeah, thanks, Ki. This is amazing," Sam mumbled, still smiling as he watched the guy live through the most horrifying event of his life. He was still giggling when Loki finally ended the illusion and allowed Sam to make the mini crop circle, before they left the unconscious man in the middle of it and returned to their apartment.

Upon appearing in their bedroom, Sam immediately showed Loki just how cheered up he was and how grateful he was to him.

* * *

Sam giggled as he watched John and Dean bickering with one another as they made their way back from having clearly interviewed the abductee. A hiss of amusement from Jinx and then feeling the snake's tongue tickle over his wrist made Sam get back to the task on hand, and he turned away from the two hunters heading to their motel room. He breathed a small sigh of relief when neither one paid him any attention as they passed by, and then Sam made his way over to the science block of the college.

When he got there, he glanced around him, smirking when he saw the light on in the office of his intended victim; he crouched down to the floor and let Jinx uncurl from his wrist. Looking around him once more to make sure he was alone, he then turned back to face Jinx, who had already doubled in size.

"Right, so you know the plan, yeah? You know what to do? Remember, I'm gonna be waiting for you over there. You're good with leaving a tooth behind, aren't you? Might as well give them something to really wonder about it. I mean, Ki was hardly subtle with the abduction, right? So, you don't mind losing the tooth," Sam whispered, making sure and smiling widely when Jinx hissed his agreement. He then stood up and quickly dashed away to hide in the shadows.

He had to wait for over ten minutes before the professor finally came out of the offices. He startled a little when Loki appeared at his side, but only had time to smile at him in a silent greeting before he turned back to eagerly watch Jinx, now ten times his normal size, finally curl from the drain as the professor passed it.

Mentally cackling, Sam crept closer to the now screaming man, smirking as Jinx dragged the man down into the sewer. Looking over his shoulder at Loki, who just shook his head in amusement, Sam winked at him and then hurried to the drain that the man had been dragged down into by Jinx the newly turned Mega-Snake of Doom - as Jinx liked Sam to call him.

"Jinx, you nearly done?"

"Help! Please! Help me!" Sam sighed at the answer, and moved to sit on the edge of the drain, legs swinging a little.

"Nah, I'm good up here, thanks. You're doing a really good job at fighting it off though!" Sam called back encouragingly, smiling widely into the darkness when the screams slowly started to die off.

Literally.

"You're a little sadistic at times. Makes me both proud that I warped you like that. And a little scared at what you got up to in Scotland," Loki added in a mutter, moving over to join Sam as they waited for Jinx to come back up to Sam.

"Hmm, Scotland was definitely fun," Sam agreed absently, grinning wickedly at Loki as he shifted to let – a once more normally sized – Jinx on to his wrist. "So, what now? And did you leave the tooth, Jinx?"

"Tooth?"

"Gotta give my loving family something juicy to—"

"Don't say it," Loki warned, making Sam pout at him and slump down.

"Fine, still, gotta leave some weird evidence. Can't be out-tricked by a slow dancing alien thought up by an old guy," Sam said with a grin and shrug, cackling and grabbing some dust to inhale just as Loki growled and grabbed for him.

"Brat! Come back and say that to my face! I'll show you old!" Loki called out furiously, glancing down at the small trail of blood leading in to the sewer before clicking his finger and following behind Sam.

* * *

Glancing around the room as he went about the motions of his 'side job' in the morgue, Sam chuckled to himself softly, thinking about Loki's retribution about his age.

He hummed softly, smirking when he passed where the professor's body was being kept and nodded when he finished wiping down the last table. That done, Sam went to the desk in the room and started writing down the notes that the pathologist had made. He chuckled when he changed a couple of things about the case and had a feeling of pride the further he got through the findings.

It was when he had nearly finished that his day plummeted. Hearing the door to the ward open, Sam's head shot up and he just about managed to only gasp in shock when he saw Dean walk in to the room, holding back the girly shriek he actually wanted to let loose.

Loki, perhaps, had a point on Sam's questionable gender roles.

Dean noticed him almost immediately, and walked over to him, looking a little sheepish – apparently he hadn't expected anyone else to be there – and showing no signs of recognition at all.

Sam wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that. Though he supposed he had changed a fair bit from the gangly, skinny teen he had been. He'd also grown a further six inches and was currently wearing glasses.

Loki was going through a stage of finding glasses hot and had 'temporarily' made Sam short-sighted. Or at least, it had better be temporary, or Sam was going to torture the man.

Sitting up a little straighter and pushing his glasses up his nose, Sam cleared his throat and looked directly at Dean.

"Can I help you?"

"Er… yeah. I'm with animal control and came to see the victim from last night," Dean told him, flashing Sam his ID – which Sam knew was fake and also knew exactly where Dean had gotten it from.

"Oh, there's not an awful lot _to_ see," Sam admittedly softly, standing up from where he had been sitting and grinning when Dean's eyes widened at his height. Apparently Dean wasn't used to meeting people taller than himself, "but I suppose I can show you the remains."

"That would be enough," Dean agreed with a nod of his head. Sam just sighed mentally and walked over to the body drawer, pulling it out and stepping aside for Dean to look. "Huh, not much left, is there?"

"Not really. I did warn you. Is that everything?" Sam asked, really quite eager for Dean to get out of his presence before he did something that alerted his brother to just exactly who he was talking to.

Dean turned to look at him, and Sam just knew his impatience had bled through in his tone of voice so he smiled sheepishly at Dean and dragged a hand through his hair.

"Sorry, it's been a long day," Sam apologised, which just got a nod from Dean, who was looking at him with narrowed eyes. A look that was beginning to make Sam twitch a little. "Um… why are you staring at me?"

"Dude! I'm sorry, just… do I know you from somewhere?" Sam felt his breath catch in his throat as his eyes widened in shock at what Dean had just asked. Forcing himself to try to act normally, Sam fidgeted and shrugged, biting his lip.

"I don't think so," Sam lied, looking down at the remains of the professor so he didn't have to look at Dean. He had been an awful liar when he'd been younger, but Loki and then Robin had both rid him of that fault.

Tricksters had to know how to lie after all.

However, Dean had known him inside and out when they were children. He had been able to catch Sam in a lie even before Sam had managed to speak. He really didn't want to leave anything to chance right now, just in case Dean had retained his freakish mind-reading abilities. Tugging on his right ear anxiously, he looked up suddenly when Dean gasped.

"Sammy?" Dean rasped, suddenly looking for all the world like someone who'd seen a ghost. Well, someone who wasn't entirely used to seeing ghosts and had just seen one for the first time.

Or a previously thought dead relative, perhaps.

Panicking, Sam looked at Dean with wide eyes and fumbled, reaching down to grab a handful of dust from his pouch and inhaling it before he even thought to say a word. And long before Dean considered actually moving to grab Sam.

Choking painfully on the too much dust, Sam arrived in the living room of their apartment in a heap, completely different to his normal somewhat graceful arrivals. Gasping and choking, trying to catch his breath and not throw up, Sam groaned in pain and fear. He heard Loki moving towards him just before he felt a warm hand rubbing his back soothingly.

"Sprite?" Loki called softly, not stopping in his soothing stroking. He brought his other hand up and ran it gently through Sam's hair. "Has something happened?"

"He knew who I was!" Sam gasped out, gratefully taking the offered bottle of water Loki quickly snapped up. The hand stilling on his back for a second was the only reaction Loki gave to Sam's answer.

"What did he do?" Loki asked, voice still soft. He moved a little so that he was sitting on the floor next to Sam, and tugged Sam gently, pulling him into his side. Sam went willingly and buried his face into Loki's stomach, finally managing to stop choking and no longer near hyperventilating.

"He just knew it was me, Ki," Sam whispered, pushing his face even further into Loki, inhaling his scent and letting it calm him quicker than anything else could. "He didn't do anything, I panicked and left before he could."

"So you didn't actually confirm it? He could think he was wrong?" Sam snorted mirthlessly and shook his head, pulling back a little and shifting to lie on his back to look up at Loki. Loki stared down at him with concerned eyes, softly brushing hair from Sam's face.

"I think panicking and disappearing from the room right in front of him might have been all the answer he really needed, don't you?" Sam explained dryly, pushing his face into Loki's hand when it came to rest on his cheek.

"You think he's going to search for you?" Loki asked him, just staring when Sam glared at him for the stupid question.

"What do you think? Now that he knows I'm still alive and apparently a monster, he's gonna go to his dad like the good little soldier he is and they're gonna hunt us!" Sam exclaimed, moving to sit up in his agitation and immediately missing Loki's touch. Still, his fear and panic wouldn't allow him to move back to Loki's side.

"We're going to be fine, Sprite. I won't let them hurt you, you know this."

"I know! Just… I think maybe we should consider my first plan! Only, this time they're only hunting for me. You're safe, Ki! They don't know you're involved! You can get away and be safe!" Sam stated, knowing that he was bordering on pleading with the stubborn man. He knew what his father had been like when he'd gotten the scent of something when he was younger though. He just knew that he'd gotten worse since Sam had left them.

"Sprite, stop! You're being ridiculous. I'm not leaving and if your father is half as good as you think he is, he'll know you're not alone in this," Loki told him gently. Sam just looked at him and sighed, shaking his head.

"We need to leave," was all Sam could think to say to that. He knew once Loki had gotten something in his head, he'd never let it drop. And Sam also knew that Loki had a point. Even if Dean didn't, John would know that Sam wasn't entirely behind everything going on.

"We do, but before we do that, we've got to sort a couple of things out. We can't risk your dad using anything to track us down in the future."

"So what do we need to do then?" Sam asked, nibbling his lip as he looked at Loki earnestly. Sure, he was desperate to keep Loki safe and was terrified that he was going to be taken away from the other man, but he trusted Loki implicitly. If Loki had a plan, then Sam would follow it.

To a point.

"You need to go sort out any files at the university that referred to you in any way. I'll go sort out everything else, including peoples memories of us. Then I'll go and see what your father and brother are planning. I'll meet you back here when I'm done and we'll leave then. You should be finished before me, so just come straight back here and wait for me once you're done, okay?" Loki asked him, moving to stand up and holding out a hand to help Sam stand as well. Sam looked at Loki shrewdly, then took the offered hand and stood. He moved to stand against Loki and leant down to rest his forehead on Loki's head. "Stop abusing your freakish height to make me feel smaller."

Sam chuckled and nuzzled into Loki's hair, gripping tightly to his shoulders before he pulled back and stepped away to look Loki in the eye.

"We meet back here, yeah?"

"Right here. Stay safe and I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done, okay?" Loki told him. Sam nodded at him and let his hands drop from Loki's shoulders. As soon as he did, Loki smirked at him, and then left the room with a click of his fingers.

Sam stayed in the apartment for a few minutes after Loki had left, then glanced over at where Jinx was lazily coiled around the lampshade, Dog fast asleep underneath it.

"He's up to something, isn't he?" Sam asked and getting a negligent hiss in answer. "Yeah, I thought so too. So, now what?"

Sighing heavily, Sam checked the pouch of dust to see how much he had left and figured he at least had enough to get the job done. He then turned to look at Jinx and walked over to stand next to the lamp.

"You coming with me or are you still uncomfortably full with animal researcher remains?" Sam enquired, grinning at the angry hiss he got for his troubles. Poking the still somewhat bloated snake, snatching his finger back before Jinx could retaliate, Sam opened his pouch and took a step away from the lamp.

With a glance at Dog, Sam inhaled a - smaller than the last time - pile of dust and left the apartment to start on Loki's plan. Erasing all records and mentions of himself from the college records really wouldn't be that hard at all. Sam really enjoyed working with computers. It was something he didn't need supernatural abilities to be good at.

It helped that he was also better with computers than Loki. Having anything to hold over Loki's head was something Sam went far and beyond to achieve on a regular basis.

* * *

Sam arrived in the apartment about an hour later, having thoroughly erased all mention of himself from the college files and any records that mentioned Loki's alias whilst he was at it. Given the fact that Loki was dealing with the human side of things, Sam felt it would be kind of him to get rid of the stuff Loki was bound to overlook.

Looking around and picking up small things that he either didn't want to leave behind or knew they couldn't, he tried to ignore the niggling feeling in his stomach that Loki was about to do something stupid.

"He's done something really, really stupid, hasn't he?" Sam asked out loud, not sure if he was talking to Jinx and Dog - who was now awake and had been following Sam around in hopes of getting a treat - or if he was just stating it out loud in hopes Loki would once again prove him wrong and appear in the room, safe and sound.

A hiss from Jinx caught Sam's attention and made him spin to gape at the snake; "What do you mean 'of course he is'? Shit, you're right! I should go to him to stop him from getting himself killed or something."

Sam flailed for a second, much to the amusement of Jinx, and the excitement of Dog, before he reached to pull some dust from his pouch - wrinkling his nose when he realised he wouldn't have any left once he used it to get to Loki - then inhaled the dust and left the apartment.

He arrived at the side of one of the college lecture theatres, and frowned, staying in the shadows and moving to see what was going on. He managed to stifle his gasp upon seeing Dean, John and possibly Bobby Singer all fighting with Loki's apparitions.

Sam stepped out of the shadows to help Loki, noticing him sitting in the middle of the chaos with a grin on his face, just as Dean finally turned to face Loki. Before Sam could get there to help, he watched helplessly as Dean thrust a bloody stake through Loki's chest.

"No!" Sam didn't realise he had shouted out loud and had run to get to Loki, until all action in the room stopped and the three hunters turned to face what was possibly a new threat. Sam froze at the front of the seats, eyes locked on Loki's body and he felt an uncontrollable urge to sob rise in his chest. "No."

"Sammy?" Dean called out softly. Sam's eyes snapped to look at his brother and the man that had just killed his lover and he bared his teeth in anger. Taking another step closer, Sam ignored the three hunters in the room and reached out to touch Loki's body.

Which was when he realised his mistake. It wasn't Loki. It was an apparition. Loki was fine. And Sam was now trapped. Fumbling quickly with the pouch on his belt, Sam yanked it free and prayed there was enough left to get him away from the three hunters now approaching him.

He didn't count on Dean recognising the bag however, and gave a startled, wordless shout when he was tackled to the floor by his older brother and the pouch was knocked out of his hands. Struggling and biting at any place he could reach, Sam furiously tried to get away from his brother and reach his pouch.

"Sammy, no! Come on! Don't make me hurt you!" Dean pleaded, and Sam only just managed to withhold his scoff. Not likely. Sam didn't want to go back to his family. He certainly didn't want to hear what John had to say, judging by the look of barely disguised disgust on the man's face.

"No! Let me go! Lo-!" Sam's yell for help was cut short when Dean hit the back of his head with his gun with a small pained look on his face, knocking Sam unconscious. Moving quickly, Dean, John and Bobby hastily bound Sam's hands behind his back and then carried him out of the lecture theatre.

"This is really Sam?" Bobby asked, as they bundled Sam's body into the back of the Impala. Dean looked at the unconscious man that he _knew_ was his baby brother, and sighed, nodding.

"Yeah, that's Sam."

"Well, get in the car. We need to get out of here as soon as we can. Then we can question the boy and find out just what the hell he's been doing all this time, and just what he's gotten himself into," John growled, narrowing his eyes at Sam before he spun on his heels and headed to his own truck. Dean watched the man walk off, feeling confused over his reaction, then looked back at Bobby.

"Why'd he run, Bobby?"

"Maybe that's one of the things we should ask him, son. Gotta warn you though, I'm not sure you're gonna like the answer," Bobby told him softly, both men jumping a little when John's truck engine roared impatiently.

"Bobby? What do you know?"

"I know a lot, son, but what I know about that boy there? It ain't something anyone else needs to know. And it certainly ain't my business to share it with anyone," Bobby told him, moving back a little towards his own car.

"Is this why you never really helped us look for him, Bobby? I need to know! I need to know why my little brother ran from me!" Dean exclaimed, looking away from Bobby to Sam. He felt a painful tug in his chest as he realised that he really didn't know his brother as well as he'd thought.

"I think a whole lot of truths are about to come out, Dean. None of them are pretty. Come on, we gotta go before someone finds that corpse in the theatre," Bobby told him just as John revved his truck once more. Dean nodded and climbed in the Impala. He waited for John and Bobby to drive off before he followed them, looking at Sam in the back of his car sadly.

"Why'd you leave me, Sammy?"

* * *

Loki hummed happily as he made sure all of his illusions were keeping the three hunters busy, and then decided to head back to Sam, seeing as it looked like Dean Winchester had finally managed to get the upper-hand on the two women he was fighting and would soon get to the fake Loki he had left sitting in the seats. With a barely audible click of his fingers, Loki left the theatre and arrived in the apartment.

Frowning, Loki looked around the room he'd arrived in. He noticed small piles of organised nonsense, knowing that Sam had been here at least for a short while to do his unique way of packing, but Loki couldn't sense his partner in the apartment any longer.

He'd possibly been a little longer than he had implied he would be to Sam, erasing peoples memories of two people wasn't as easy as it sounded. And it didn't sound particularly easy in the first place. And he certainly hadn't admitted his plans for the three hunters hunting them to Sam. Still, that didn't explain why the man was no longer in the apartment, waiting for him.

He walked out of the bedroom and headed straight to the lampshade that Jinx was lazily draped over, knowing that the snake would be able to tell him where Sam was. If only Loki could remember how to talk to the damned serpent. Languages always had been Sam's thing. Loki didn't have the patience for it. However, this was important and he really needed to know where Sam was.

"Jinx, where's Sprite?" Loki asked, deciding that the time for niceties had never really been there in the first place and certainly wasn't now. He got a brief, concerned hiss from Jinx and, after a couple of seconds trying to work it all out, Loki cursed.

Apparently he'd just missed Sam by mere minutes. And now the stubborn, annoying brat had gone to find out what Loki had been up to. Really, Sam was just too suspicious for his own good. Giving a brief nod to Jinx, Loki snapped his fingers and went to the theatre.

Upon arriving in the empty lecture theatre, Loki felt his heart plummet and quickly ran to his slowly fading illusion. Looking around for any hints on where Sam was now, Loki almost tripped over something lying half under the front seats. Crouching down, Loki picked up the pouch that Sam kept his dust in and scowled. Sam had indeed been there, and apparently something had happened to make Sam panic and rip his pouch off his belt.

Fingering the broken cords, Loki growled quietly. Sam had been forcefully taken from him. The Winchester's had always annoyed him a little in their presumptuous behaviour, but this was the final mistake they'd made. No one took a pagan god's partner and got away with it. Taking the mate of an Archangel? That was just asking for a smiting.

Now he just had to find Sam. If only Loki hadn't made it so Sam couldn't be found by any magical means, or any angels. Including himself. He'd been meaning to change if so that he could find Sam, but had never gotten around to it. He was regretting that deeply now.

* * *

Sam gave a pained groan as he came back to consciousness; the headache currently pounding in his skull making him wish he hadn't. Sam cautiously opened his eyes and frowned when he realised he wasn't in the apartment. Then the events of earlier hit him and he jerked to sit up.

He soon discovered that he was handcuffed to the door of the car he was currently in, when he tried to move and found he couldn't. Glaring at the chain, Sam yanked at it, hoping it would break or something. Anything.

"I wouldn't bother, it's just gonna hurt you in the end. You won't get free, Sammy." Sam looked away from his restraints to the owner of the voice and glared upon recognising Dean.

"Let me go," Sam demanded, yanking at the cuffs once more and smirking when he noticed that it was damaging the car a little.

"Dude, if you don't stop pulling at that, I'm gonna knock you out again. Stop wrecking my car!" Dean exclaimed upon glancing over and seeing the damage Sam had already managed to cause. Sam just smirked smugly and then gave a final yank of the cuffs just out of sheer defiance. "Dude!"

"Let. Me. Go!" Sam growled, scowling at the back of Dean's head and hoping he had developed some strange mental ability to hurt people with his eyes. He hadn't and Dean just ignored the venomous glare being sent his way.

"Not gonna happen. But, seeing as you're awake, how about we have a chat?" Dean asked him, not taking his eyes off the road in front of him and thus missing Sam childishly stick his tongue out at him.

"How about we don't and you let me go!" Sam spat, looking mournfully at the passing scenery and knowing that, whilst he was in a fast moving vehicle, there was no way he could call for help. He didn't fancy explaining to Jormungand why his son was killed via appearing in the engine of a moving car. Yeah, he'd really rather not.

Which made him helpless.

Or possibly not. If he could irritate Dean to the point of wanting to hurt Sam in some way, then Dean would have to pull the car over and Sam would get the chance to call for help. It could work.

Or it could backfire and Dean could just shoot him in the head to shut him up, all whilst never stopping the car. That would suck a little. Still, he was Sammy. Dean's beloved little brother. Dean wouldn't actually shoot him, right?

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't bother," Dean told him, and Sam scoffed. Like he'd listen to Dean. If he didn't listen to Loki and Puck, why on earth would he listen to a human? Okay, a human with the upper-hand, but a human all the same.

He was beginning to get Loki's distaste - hatred - of hunters. Arrogant bastards. He was glad he was clear of them. Besides, Tricksters had way more fun. And candy. Tricksters had candy.

He could really do with some candy right now.

"Got any Jolly Ranchers?" Sam asked, picking at the seats and cackling mentally when he managed to pick a thread clear, starting to slowly unpick the leather stitching.

"No."

"Pixie Sticks?"

"No."

"Humbugs?"

"Bah."

"Oh, very amusing. Check out your literary knowledge. Of course, given I know the only reason you know that is because you watched Muppet's Christmas Carol religiously for a month, it's less impressive, it was all we were allowed to watch if I remember. Still get hot under the collar for Miss Piggy?"

"Dude! Shut up! We agreed to never talk about that! And I don't have a thing for Miss Piggy!" Dean exclaimed, knuckles turning white as his grip tightened on the steering wheel. Sam just smirked, and carried on patiently picking at the thread.

"I never agreed to that. And sorry, I forgot. It was Kermit. Kinda weird, don't you think Dean? I mean, at least pigs have a similar DNA to us. Or, you know, are mammals. Frogs? Really? Singing frogs are even worse," Sam commented, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "I really could do with some candy though. How about you pull over at the next rest point and buy me something, huh? Sweeten me up a little? If you do, I'll make sure Loki doesn't kill you when he catches up with you. Maim you possibly, but he'll keep you alive at least."

"So you're a trickster now, are you? And hate to remind you, but Loki as you call him, is dead. You saw the corpse," Dean told him, not sounding apologetic in the least and making Sam growl in anger and yank at the cuffs once more.

"You _think_ you killed him! You think it would be that easy? Think again, Dean! Maybe you should stop being naive," Sam suggested, giving another tug at the cuffs if only to see Dean flinch at the thought of what was happening to his car.

"Me being naive? How about you? How long do you think a monster is gonna keep you around before you become nothing but a burden and he gets rid of you?" Dean spat viciously and Sam chuckled.

"I've been with him since a week after I left you and John. You'd think he'd have gotten rid of me by now if he ever was going to, don't you agree?" Sam asked, going back to patiently wrecking the leather finish of the back seats.

"What the hell happened to you, Sam? You used to be a sweet, if a little annoying and petulant, kid. Now? Now you're something we were raised to hunt. What happened? What changed?" Dean asked, apparently getting fed up with Sam's unique sense of humour and moving on to more relevant topics of conversation.

"I grew up, Dean. It's what happens when you get older," Sam muttered, viciously tugging at the thread in frustration. This was _not_ a conversation he wanted to have.

"Why'd you run away, Sam?"

"Because. Drop it. I don't want to talk about that. Let's talk about you instead. Clearly, you're still daddy's good little soldier boy. How's that going for you? Still plagued by the Winchester Curse? Contracted any unsightly STDs yet?"

"Because isn't an answer. Why'd you run?"

"Oh, and that's an answer to my questions, is it? Answering a question with another question is rude, Dean," Sam muttered in a false bored tone. Really, how long were they going to be driving? He wanted to get out. He _needed_ to get out.

"I didn't answer with a question. I just ignored the questions and turned the conversation back to what I wanted to talk about."

"Of course, all about Dean, right? Perfect, never do anything wrong, Dean. The prodigal son," Sam scoffed to show exactly what he thought of that, and ignored the glare Dean sent him through the rearview mirror.

"You never struck me as being bitter before, Sammy. What happened to you whilst you were away?"

"Like I said, I grew up. Watching two parents being ripped apart by a werewolf in front of their two young children also helps with the bitter part. Wasn't that a fun occasion," Sam remarked sarcastically, remembering the two kids with a smile. He and Loki made sure to visit them every Christmas without fail. They were doing well, considering the trauma they'd been witness too. Plus their grandmother made the nicest fudge Sam had ever had the pleasure of eating. "Man, I could just do with some of Grandma Joan's fudge. The things she does with dairy is a miracle. If she wasn't ninety and I was single, I'd so marry her."

"Who the hell is Grandma Joan? And what do you mean you saw a werewolf attack? Sam, what the hell hap- wait? You're not single?" Dean asked, actually twisting round in his seat to pin Sam with a shocked look. Sam just stared back blankly and rolled his eyes.

"Who do you think Loki is? And Grandma Joan is the grandmother of the two kids I saved from being mauled by a werewolf. Well, I say I saved them, but it was actually Loki. Which was how we met. He saved us from the werewolf, realised I was actually a runaway and offered to take me with him as his apprentice."

"You're gay?"

"What's with you and focusing on the points that really aren't that important. And sure, if you want, I'm gay. Whatever. Anyway, Loki can turn into a woman should he so wish it, so technically I'm bi. Well, pansexual if you count that one time he turned into a panda. Hey! Pan - Panda! Get it?" Sam chuckled to himself, completely ignoring the horrified look on Dean's face and mentally cheering when he realised he'd managed to unstitch at least half the seat he was on.

"You had sex with a panda?"

"What? No! Don't be stupid! Who does that? Not even pandas do that!" Sam exclaimed, gaping at Dean and forgetting his task to destroy the interior of the impala for a moment.

"You said he was a panda!"

"I never said I had sex with him while he was a panda! Sheesh, is sex all you think about? I can't believe I let myself get caught by someone so depraved that they think about having sex with pandas."

"I never said I wanted to have sex with pandas!"

"But you've thought about it."

"No! You started the panda thing! I just wanted to know why you left me! Fuck! What the fuck happened to you?" Dean exclaimed and Sam took that minor breakdown as the hint that Dean had been pushed to his limits.

And wouldn't pull over.

"I had to leave," Sam whispered, fidgeting in the back until he could pull his legs under him and he wrapped his free arm around his waist, staring at the floor. Dean remained silent in the front for a few agonising minutes before his sigh broke the silence.

"Why'd you feel you had to leave, Sammy? What did we do to make you feel unwanted?" Dean asked softly. Sam shrugged, uncomfortable once more and wishing he had Loki around to burrow in his jacket and pretend the world didn't exist outside of it.

"I didn't feel I had to leave, Dean. I was explicitly told. John told me I was to blame for everything. That mom's death was all my fault and if I hadn't been born, none of this would have happened. So… I left. I gave you the chance to go back to living a normal life," Sam admitted, swallowing painfully and trying to block the memories that were flooding his mind once more.

"What? Don't lie, Sam! Why would dad say something like that! Why would _you_ say something like that?" Dean exclaimed, making Sam flinch at the pained feeling of being called a liar. He hadn't been sure Dean would believe him, but it still hurt to know for sure.

"Okay, you carry on thinking that if it makes you feel better. I know the truth and I'm sure if you think about it, you'll know it's the truth as well," Sam muttered, going back to picking at the thread once more.

They sat in the car in silence for a while, Sam picking at the thread and occasionally looking out the window to see if he could find any clues as to where he was. Whenever he glanced at Dean, he saw the man was frowning and biting at his lower lip in thought. Finally Dean broke the silence, making Sam jump a little having thought he'd been caught.

"Bobby knew," Dean whispered. Sam looked up, frowning in confusion. What on earth did Bobby Singer have to do with anything?

"Eh?"

"Bobby. We went to him as soon as we realised you'd gone. Thought you might have just run to him. He told us he hadn't seen you and kinda refused to help us look for you," Dean explained. Sam frowned and felt a small sensation of respect and gratitude towards the other hunter.

"You believe me then? So you see why I don't wanna be here? You'll let me go now? Please, Dean!" Sam begged, feeling no shame in doing so at all. He just wanted to get away and not have to talk to John. If he was being honest, he was scared about what John would do to him when they finally got to wherever it was they were heading for.

"Why do you have to leave, Sammy? How about we both leave! Stay with me but we'll leave dad! We never have to see him again! Just… don't leave me again, Sammy," Dean whispered softly. Sam stared at his brother in shock and bit down on his lip. He'd never admitted it, but he'd missed Dean. However, they were too different now. He didn't want to be a hunter and Dean was the type who lived to hunt.

"I can't. I don't want to leave Loki, Dean. I love him. He's my partner and has pretty much become everything to me. Don't make me leave him, Dean. I'm sorry, really, I am! And I miss you so much, but… I moved on. Dean, you don't need me with you to break free of dad," Sam added softly, shifting as near to Dean as he could with the restraints and placed his free hand on Dean's shoulder, squeezing in comfort.

"Sammy…"

"Please, Dean! Just, just pull over! Let me go! Say I overpowered you or something! Tell them I'm not human anymore and hexed you! I don't care, just… let me go home," Sam pleaded softly, sniffing a little as he tried to ignore how helpless the whole situation was.

The silence from Dean confirmed that, and Sam couldn't help but feel that it was somewhat damning in its lack of agreement. Shuddering and wrapping his arm around his waist once more, Sam's mind went overboard thinking up the things John was going to do to him to get the answers he felt Sam had.

* * *

Sam had fallen in to a light doze at some point, and jerked awake when he felt the car finally pull to a stop. Shifting to sit up straight, Sam wiped his face with his hand and looked around them. They'd come to a stop outside a nondescript motel with no obvious clue as to where in the country they were.

"Stay in the car, Sammy," Dean told him gruffly, opening the door and getting out of the car. Sam scowled at his back and then looked down at the cuffs with a sneer.

"Oh sure, like I have a damned choice," Sam muttered, futilely tugging at the handcuffs, then rubbing at his wrist when he noticed just how bruised it had become during the journey. He was still rubbing at the abused flesh when Dean returned to the car and tapped on the door Sam was attached to.

Sam looked up and sarcastically waved the hand attached to the door to give Dean a hint, judging by the flush that rose up Dean's neck, the man had indeed forgotten about the handcuffs. Opening the door, Dean crouched down and undid the handcuffs, pocketing them whilst Sam rubbed his wrist once more.

"Come on, you're sharing a room with me. Dad wants to talk to you in the morning, so we better get some sleep before then," Dean told him, not meeting Sam's eyes as he told him that, and then turning and leading the way to the motel room. Sam gaped at his back, before he slammed the door of the car, smirking when Dean visibly cringed.

As soon as the door to the motel room closed behind them, Sam leant back on it and crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow in question. Dean just stared back at him, fidgeting in discomfort.

"You've changed your tone. Back to being the good little soldier then, huh? You know he doesn't see me as his son, right? You do _know_ tomorrow is gonna be an interrogation, yeah? I guess you're right, we really should get some sleep. Lord knows torture can be exhausting."

"Sammy, don't. Just don't, alright?" Dean said, sounding worn out, shoulders slumping a little as he scrubbed his hand over his face. "I'm sorry, Sammy. I'm sorry I didn't look for you hard enough and that I made you feel like you weren't wanted. I'm so, so sorry. You don't know how sorry I am."

Sam just stared at Dean, completely confused by the events of the whole day. He'd been put through a ringer and he couldn't believe only a few hours had passed since he'd been preparing to go home for the day. He felt like he could sleep for a month.

"Promise me something, Sammy," Dean said, drawing Sam's attention back to him. He frowned in confusion but nodded all the same. Dean tugged a piece of paper from his pocket and held it out for Sam to take. "Promise me you'll keep in touch this time, yeah?"

Sam took the paper and gaped at it when he realised it was Dean's phone number. Curling his fingers over the paper, Sam looked up from it to Dean and smiled widely.

"I promise, Dean. Seriously? You're letting me go?"

"Yeah, Sammy. I don't wanna ever see you miserable. Forcing you to stay here would do that. And… and you're right about dad. He would interrogate you," Dean admitted in a whisper. Sam cringed at the pain Dean must have been feeling to admit that.

"Thank you, Dean," Sam murmured, smiling widely as he looked down at the number in his hands. "Where are we exactly?"

"Still in Ohio. Just outside of Dayton."

"Right. Loki! Jinx! Come on! We've stopped moving now! We're in a motel near Dayton! You can come get me now!" Sam called out, mentally praying the same information to Gabriel in the hopes that one of them would work.

"I really am sorry for everything, Sammy," Dean told him, moving forward a step to reach out to Sam, before he sighed and let his hand drop. Sam frowned and bit his lip before shaking his head and quickly reaching forward to grab Dean in to a hug.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for. Well, except maybe the bump on the back of my head," Sam added, pulling back so that Dean could see he was only joking. Dean tightened his grip on Sam for a moment, before he let go and moved to walk into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Dean stayed in the bathroom for a while, splashing water over his face and gripping at the sink as he stared at his reflection. He should have known, deep down, that Sam had had a valid reason for leaving. He should have known that reason was their father too.

Sighing deeply, Dean glanced once more at his reflection and then left the bathroom. As expected, the main room was empty, Sam no longer there. However, on the table between the two beds was an opened bag of M&Ms with a bright pink note attached to it. Smiling softly, Dean walked over and picked the note up. Seeing the two numbers on it, he glanced in the bag and frowned in confusion at seeing it half full with a strange pearlescent white dust.

Glancing back at the note, he watched as more writing appeared as though it was just being written as he watched.

'_Dean, inhale the dust should you ever need us. It'll bring you to us. Keep in touch and don't forget that we approve should you want to start something with Kermit. _

_Dean, get away from dad. I get that you love him and he's your father, but… he's holding you back, Dean. You can be so amazing on your own. Don't let him hold you back! _

_Sorry for leaving you again, but know you're never alone._

_Sprite and Loki_

_Xxx'_

Clearing his throat gruffly and chuckling as he surreptitiously wiped at his eyes, Dean carefully folded the bag over so that the dust wouldn't spill out of it and then placed it in his jacket pocket.

Looking around the empty room, Dean grabbed the keys to his car and then quietly left the motel room. Closing the door silently behind him, Dean glanced at the doors that held Bobby and his father, and then quickly and quietly made his way to the Impala.

He froze when the engine roared to life and looked over at his father's door. When nothing happened, Dean chuckled mirthlessly and pulled away from the motel.

Sam was right. It was time he broke away. And maybe starting up a cross-country prank war with two tricksters would be something worth considering as well. He'd have to see just how suicidal he was feeling. Now though, he just needed to put as much distance between himself and his father as possible. Shouldn't be too hard. Sam wasn't the only one with friends in odd places after all.

* * *

**End Notes**: So this is it. The sequel to Pray for Us, and the story of what happened when Dean finally caught up with Sam. Was it good? Live up to expectations? Sam, by the way, is not a witch (or Harry Potter, no matter what Loki says) and as was evident, Sam clearly knew who Loki originally was. He doesn't particularly care. After all, Sam pretends he's not a human and is actually a trickster, so why the hell should he judge Loki for doing exactly the same thing? Lol. Though I'm sure Sam does mock Loki for being a fluffy little angel. *snickers*

Personally, I loved writing this just as much as writing the prequel. This Sam I totally love. He's awesome. *grins* That being said, I don't actually have any plans to write any more to this, but I'm not saying I never will. Just... don't hold out hopes for anything. Heh.

Let me know what you thought! Comments mean love! Unless, you know, they tell me I'm shit, then I'm not feeling the love quite so much... Either way, I would love to know if you liked it or not! Thank you for reading and putting up with my incessant rambling. Huge thanks go to my lovely betas shirley007 and frozenbrimstone who were both ever patient with my somewhat unique take on spelling and grammar... You both rock!


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